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JAPANESE, SOVIET, AND SOUTH KOREANFISHERIES OFF ALASKA
DEVELOPMENT AND HISTORY THROUGH 1966
t^^ibiff-
^^^"V^ltlNiT^^^^ DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
I WuoUS riUlL, MftSS. BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES
Circular 310
}'< ' ^l' • V
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES
Japanese, Soviet, and South Korean
Fisheries off Alaska
Development and History Through 1966
By
PHILIP E.CHITWOOD
UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICECIRCULAR 310
Washington. D.C.January 1969
CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 1
Japanese fisheries 2
Eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish trawl fishery 4
Fish meal and oil 4
Freezing operations 6
Gulf of Alaska trawl fishery 7
Eastern Bering Sea king crab fishery 9
Central Bering Sea shrimp fishery II
High-seas salmon fishery 12
Chukchi Sea salmon fishery 15
Whaling 15
Longline fishery 18
Soviet fisheries 19
Flounder fishery 21
Herring fishery 22
Pacific ocean perch fishery . 23
Gulf of Alaska 24
Aleutian Islands 25
Bering Sea 26
King crab fishery 26
Shrimp fishery . ., 28
Whaling 29
Halibut and sablefish fishery 31
South Korean fisheries 32
Acknowledgments 32
List of references 33
111
Japanese, Soviet, and South Korean
Fisheries off Alaska
Development and History Through 1966By
PHILIP E.CHITWOODForeign Fisheries Analyst
Bureau of Commercial Fisheries
Office of Enforcement and Surveillance
Juneau, Alaska 99801
ABSTRACT
The history of fisheries off Alaska by a nation from across the Pacific Ocean dates
back to 1930. In that year Japan dispatched a king crab expedition into the eastern
Bering Sea. Japanese exploitation of the eastern Bering Sea fishery resources was
expanded in 1933 when a groundfish fishery was initiated. By 1941, Japan's fisheries in
the eastern Bering Sea had been halted because the Imperial Navy had requisitioned most
of Japan's vessels for use in World War II.
In 1952, after a lapse of 1 1 years, Japanese fishing off Alaska resumed. In that year
the Japanese began fishing for salmon along the western Aleutian Islands. In 1953, they
resumed their prewar fisheries in the eastern Bering Sea.
The Japanese fleets off Alaska were joined in 1959 by U.S.S.R. fleets, which began
fishing flounder and king crab in the eastern Bering Sea and whaUng along the Aleutian
Islands.
During the early 1960's, both the Japanese and the Soviets accelerated their
exploitation of the fishery resources off Alaska, working new grounds and taking
additional species. By the close of 1966, fisheries of these two nations engulfed nearly all
the 550,000 square nautical miles of the Continental Shelf off Alaska. Their fleets ranged
from Dixon Entrance in the south and east, to beyond Attu Island in the west, and into
the Arctic Ocean in the north. Also in 1966, another Asian nation. South Korea, made
preparations to enter the fisheries off Alaska.
INTRODUCTION
"Freedom of the seas" has many connotations, andthe phenomenal expansion of Japanese and Soviet
fisheries into the oceans of the world leaves no doubtthat these two nations are taking advantage of that
principle of international law.
The development of global fisheries by Japan and the
Soviet Union has made those two nations world leaders
in fisheries. Only Peru and possibly mainland Chinacompare closely with Japan and the U.S.S.R. in annualfishery landings (Lyles, 1967). Japanese and Soviet
fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean have been importantfactors in the rising status of the fishing industries ofthose nations. Within a few years, fisheries of bothnations have spread rapidly across the North Pacific,
engulfing Alaska's vast Continental Shelf from the
central Bering Sea to British Columbia (table 1). MassiveJapanese and Soviet fleets with some of the world's most
modern fishing and associated vessels operate year-roundoff Alaska and annually catch over 3 billion pounds of
fish, shellfish, and whales. The monthly average numberof Japanese and Soviet fishery vessels (excluding the
Japanese higli-seas salmon fleets) off Alaska in 1963-66is shown in figure 1.
South Korean fishing off Alaska has consisted of an
exploratory venture by one vessel in 1966. Entry of that
nation, however, into the fisheries off Alaska on a large
scale appears imminent.
A review of Japanese, Soviet, and South Korean
fisheries off Alaska from their inception through 1966 is
presented in this report. Much of the information has
been gathered by Bureau of Commercial Fisheries agents
while on enforcement and surveillance patrols of the
foreign fisheries and from other unpublished sources.
Published sources of information are cited.
Table 1 .—Chronology of Japanese and Soviet fisheries off Alaska
Japanese
1930 Eastern Bering Sea king crab fishery InitiatedAsian fishing off Alaska.
1933 Eastern Bering Sea fish meal and oil fishery con-stituted first foreign trawl fishery off Alaska.
19^0 Trawl fishery for groundflsh frozen for human con-sumption began In eastern Bering Sea.
19A2-51 Fisheries off Alaska discontinued because of WorldWar II.
1952 First high-seas salmon fishery began off Alaskanear the western Aleutian Islands.
1953 Eastern Bering Sea king crab fishery resumed.
195A Eastern Bering Sea groundflsh trawl fishery resumed.
1959 North Pacific whaling extended to along AleutianIslands.
1960 Longllne fishery for sableflsh began in centraland eastern Bering Sea.
1961 First shrimp fishery developed north of PrlbilofIslands In central Bering Sea.
1962 Trawling extended Into Gulf of Alaska.
1963 Longlining extended into Gulf of Alaska. Enteredhalibut longllne fishery in eastern Bering Sea.
1964
First high-seas salmon fishery began In Chukchi Sea.
King crab and flounder fisheries began In easternBering Sea, and whaling began along Aleutian Islands.
Herring fishery began In central Bering Sea, andocean perch fishery began In central and easternBering Sea.
Ocean perch fishery extended into Gulf of Alaska.
Shrimp fishery began in central Bering Sea. Oceanperch fishery spread to along Aleutian Islands.
Shrimp fishery transferred from central Bering Seato Gulf of Alaska.
JAPANESE FISHERIES
Most of Japan's fishing fleet was destroyed in WorldWar II, but less than 20 years later Japan reemerged as a
dominant nation in world fisheries and is now second in
annual fishery landings. This expansion wasaccomplished througli acquisition of large modernvessels and development of high-seas fisheries in all
oceans of the world (Borgstrom, 1964). Resumption of
her prewar fisheries and development of new fisheries in
the eastern North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, and Gulf ofAlaska (fig. 2) exemplify Japan's effort to regain herstatus as a leading fishing nation and have been a majorfactor in her success.
The worldwide spread of Japan's fisheries washastened because her increasing population dependsupon fish as a source of protein. After World War II,
Japanese fishermen found some of their prewar fishingareas closed to them; these restrictions plusovercrowding in Japanese waters forced them to seeknew grounds on the high seas. As the distance fromJapan increased, some fishery operations became basedoverseas (Borgstrom, 1964).
Although private companies carry on Japan's
fisheries. Government licenses control their areas andtypes of operation. The Fishery Agency licenses fishing
vessels to operate in a specific area and for a specific
period of time. Japanese vessels fishing off Alaska are
generally licensed to fish in a given area for 1 year.
The various fisheries off Alaska use several types of
vessels. They include small side trawlers, pair trawlers,
Danish seiners (80-150 feet long), factory trawlers (120to over 300 feet long), longline vessels (110-185 feet
long), whale killers (185-225 feet long), gill netters
(about 90 feet long), and factory ships (up to 650 feet
long). Support vessels include a variety of refrigerated
transports, cargo ships, and tankers.
Japanese fisheries off Alaska may be divided into two
categories: (I) fleet operations that involve several
tlshing vessels which deliver their catches to a factory or
processing ship, and (2) independent operations that
involve fishing vessels which have their own processing
facilities. Various support vessels usually service both
types of operations.
200
i150
i .
u. 100o
i
Soviet
Japanese
50
J
La SBi ^^ ^SJAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUf) JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Figure 1 .-Monthly average number of Soviet and Japanese fishing and associated support
vessels off Alaska in 1963-66 (Japanese salmon fleet excluded )
Figure 2. -Japanese fishing areas off Alaska. (Excluding high-seas salmon fishing areas.)
EASTERN BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDSGROUNDFISH TRAWL FISHERY
The first trawling for groundfish off Alaska by an
Asian nation occurred in 1929 when Japanese vessels
explored the eastern Bering Sea. This exploration led to
the development of a fuUscale commercial fishery in the
eastern Bering Sea in 1933 (Bourgois, 1951). This
fishery has developed into the most intensive and
productive of the Japanese fisheries off Alaska. It has
two general categories: (1) reduction for fish meal and
oil, and (2) freezing, primarily for food products.
Yellowfin sole and walleye pollock are the principal
species for reduction, and Pacific ocean perch and
walleye pollock are the major species for freezing.
Fish Meal and Oil
Japanese trawling in the Bering Sea for groundfish to
be used for meal and oil (fig. 3) is the second oldest
Asian-based fishery off Alaska (the Japanese fishery for
Alaska king crabs began in 1930). The reduction fishery
began in 1933 and was continued each year through
1937 by one fish meal and oil factory ship and her
attendant trawlers, which fished the Continental Shelf in
the eastern Bering Sea. The catch rose annually,
increasing from 3,600 short tons in 1933 to 44,000 tons
in 1937 (Kibesaki, 1965). World War 11 forced the
Japanese to stop fishing in distant waters and ended the
fish meal and oil fishery in the eastern Bering Sea.
Japanese pair or bull trawlers fishing for groundfish in theeastern Bering Sea. The two vessels tow one trawl by means of a
cable from the stern of each ship. These two vessels belong to a
fleet of trawlers accompanying a factory ship which processestheir catches.
In 1958 Japan resumed her fish meal and oil fishery
in the eastern Bering Sea (Kibesaki, 1965) and in 1960extended the fishery into the central Bering Sea. Fromone to five factory ship fleets were active in this fishery
J—l ' ' "* 45
ire- 175- lis' 150' US* 1*0*
Figure 3.—Japanese Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish trawl fishing areas-fish meal and oil.
4
in 1958-66 (table 2), and fishing in these years beganbetween March and early May and continued into
October. The effort increased in both 1959 and 1960and remained at a high level through 1962. The annualcatch increased from 31.200 tons in 1958 to an
estimated 440,000 tons in 1962, but the catch per unit
of effort and average size of the species decreased in
these years. This development combined with a
depressed world meal market at that time led to a
reduction of effort in 1963. The number of vessels
varied widely in 1963-66, and so did the annua! catches
which ranged from an estimated 180,000 tons in 1963to an estimated 350,000 tons in 1966.
Table 2.—Number of vessels in the Japanese fish mealand oil fishery off Alaska, 1958-66
Factory ships Trawlers
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
Dumber
1
2
5
5
It
2
I,
3
4
Number
20
44
125-135
125-135
112
54
119
65
Japanese factory ship and two of her accompanying trawlers inthe eastern Bering Sea. The trawlers' catches of groundfish aredelivered to the factory ship primarily for production of fishmeal and oil and minced fish meat.
In a typical fish meal and oil operation, the trawlers
fish within a 5- to 10-nautical mile radius of their factoryship, which is generally anchored, and deliver their
catches to the factory ship for processing. Several of the
trawlers use otter trawls with detachable cod ends. Asthey approach the factory ship, these vessels are met bya "kawasaki" (work boat), which carries a cable leadingfrom a winch on the factory ship. The cable is attached
to the cod end filled with fish, and the entire cod end is
hauled aboard the factory ship. The trawler gels an
empty cod end from the kawasaki and resumes fishing.
The cod end with fish is emptied on deck of the factory
ship. The large flounders (mostly yellowfin sole) andothci desiiable bpctics aie selected lium ihc cali-hcb andare frozen. The remaining fish are reduced to meal andoil. In 1966 at least one of the fish meal and oil factoryships in the eastern Bering Sea used walleye pollock to
make minced fish meat. Minced fish meat is aningredient in fish sausage and cake in Japan.
The larger sole and other desirable species of fish being selectedfrom tons of groundfish on deck of a Japanese factory ship in
the eastern Bering Sea. The selected fish are frozen for humanconsumption, and the remaining mass of fish are reduced into
meal and oil or made into minced fish meat.
Groundfish stored in bins on deck of a Japanese factory ship in
the eastern Bering Sea. After the desirable fish to be frozen forhuman consumption have been removed from the catchesdelivered to factory ships, the fish are stored on deck for
subsequent conveyance below deck where facilities for reductionand minced meat production are located.
Freezing Operations
The Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands trawl fishery (fig.
4) in which the catches are frozen for humanconsumption was the last Japanese fishery off Alaska to
be ended by World War II and one of the first fisheries
to be resumed after the war. The first trawlers that were
known to have fished off Alaska for groundfish to be
frozen accompanied a factory ship in the eastern Bering
Sea in 1940. The fleet had nine trawlers, which fished onthe Continental Shelf in the eastern Bering Sea during
the summer. In the summer of 1941 another fleet,
consisting of a factory ship and 1 2 trawlers, fished in the
same area. Trawling in the Bering Sea was discontinued
from 1942 through 1953 (Alverson, Pruter, andRonholt, 1964).
The Japanese resumed freezer operations in the
eastern Bering Sea in 1954 (Kibesaki, 1965). Each year
in 1954-59, two to four factory ships, each with four to
eight trawlers,operated in this fishery. Fishing took place
in the eastern Bering Sea from late August to early
October, and the catches ranged from nearly 1 1 ,000
tons in 1955 to almost 33,000 tons in 1959. A few
independent factory trawlers that froze their owncatches also fished in the eastern Bering Sea in 1954-59.
From I960 through 1963 freezer operations in the
eastern Bering Sea decreased to 1 factory ship
accompanied .by about 10 trawlers, and a fewindependent factory trawlers. Fishing was shifted fromon the Continental Shelf of outer Bristol Bay to along
the edge of the Continental Shelf in the eastern andcentral Bering Sea and north of the eastern Aleutian
Islands. As a result of the change to deeper grounds, the
species composition of the catches changed from flatfish
and walleye pollock to primarily Pacific ocean perch andwalleye pollock.
Fishing was extended to the entire Aleutian Islands
chain in 1964, and the independent trawlers increased to
at least seven factory trawlers and two small otter
trawlers. Most of the catch was ocean perch. Theindependent trawlers began to fish in March andcontinued through the year; individual vessels fished
from 2 to 8 months. One factory freezer ship with 28catcher vessels operated in the eastern Bering Sea in
1964. This fleet arrived in May and had moved west to
the Soviet coast by late June.
Freezer operations became more intense in 1964— in
action were 9 factory trawlers, 4 small otter trawlers,
and 2 factory ships accompanied by a total of 29trawlers. Independent trawlers fished along the Aleutian
Islands chain and in the eastern Bering Sea througliout
tlie year; they fished from 3 to 1 1 months. One of the
factory ship fleets fished along the Aleutian Islands fromlate July to September, and the other fleet operatedalong the Aleutian Islands and in the eastern Bering Seafrom mid-April to July and again from August into
September.
The level of this fishery rose again in 1966 when 14factory trawlers, 2 small otter trawlers, and 2 factory
ships accompanied by 1 1 trawlers caught and froze fish.
An intensive fishery for walleye pollock developed alongthe lOO-fathom curve north of the Fox Islands in the
eastern Aleutian Islands. Pacific ocean perch, which hadpreviously dominated the catches in all areas, remainedthe primary species south of the eastern Aleutians, along
the central and western Aleutians, and along the
Figure 4.—Japanese Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish trawl fishing areas—freezer operations.
6
100-fathom curve in the eastern Bering Sea. Theindependent trawlers were active in this fishery for
periods of 1 to 9 months, and several of tiiem also
trawled in the Gulf of Alaska. A factory ship
accompanied by 1 1 trawlers arrived north of the FoxIslands in early February. This fleet remained in that
area catching walleye pollock for production of minced
fish meat until the factory ship returned to Japan in
April. Another factory ship and the 1 1 trawlers movednorthwest of the Pribilof Islands to take shrimp. After 1
week, however, this fleet stopped shrimping because
catches were poor. The fleet then shifted to the western
and central Aleutian Islands, fished for Pacific ocean
perch until late September, and returned to Japan. In
late December, this same factory ship accompanied by
about eight trawlers returned to the pollock fishery
north of the Fox Islands and resumed production of
minced fish meat.
were caught were to be returned to the sea, and (2)
tlshing was to be confined to an area north of lat. 50 N.
and between long. 145° W. and 170 W. Under the
auspices of the INPFC (International North Pacific
Fisheries Commission), arrangements were made to place
North American observers aboard Japanese trawlers in
the Gulf of Alaska to determine the number and
viabihty of halibut taken by the Japanese.
The fishery in 1963 involved one factory trawler, two
side trawlers, and one factory ship with three catcher
vessels. They fished primarily on Albatross Bank and
also on Portlock Bank and along the 100-fathom curve
from Chirikof Island to Unimak Pass. Trawling began in
GULF OF ALASKA TRAWL FISHERY
The Japanese trawl fishery in the Gulf of Alaska (fig.
5) began in 1963 following brief exploratory fishing by
two trawlers in 1962. Each year the effort in this fishery
has been increased, and it has developed into a
year-round operation.
In the United States, the Government and the fishing
industry expressed concern about the Japanese trawUng
in the Gulf of Alaska because of its possible detrimental
effects on the stocks of halibut and king crab. TheFishery Agency, therefore, incorporated the following
restrictions in licenses issued to those vessels authorized
to fish in the Gulf: (1) halibut, salmon, or king crab that
Japanese factory trawler fishing for ocean perch in the Gulf ofAlaska. Japanese factory trawlers are equipped with completefacilities for processing and refrigerated storage, which enablethem to operate as independent units.
Figure 5.—Japanese Gulf of Alaska trawl fishing areas.
7
Cod end of a trawl containing several tons of ocean perchcoming aboard Japanese factory trawler in Gulf of Alaska. Thetrawl is taken aboard via a stern ramp. The large after deck ofJapanese factory trawlers provides space for carrying extra gearfor repairing trawls.
February and ended in October. Tlie combined catch of
the three trawlers was 10,310 tons-6,635 tons of perch,
2,971 tons of other demersal species, and 704 tons of
shrimp (International North Pacific Fisheries
Commission, 1965b). The catcher vessels accompanyingthe factory ship fished from late April to mid-Septemberwith sunken gill nets. They caught 1 ,710 tons of fish, 96percent of which were sablefish (International NorthPacific Fisheries Commission, 1963b). The Japanesewere apparently not satisfied with the results with the
sunken gill nets because they have not used that type of
gear again in the Gulf.
The Fishery Agency in 1964 licensed six trawlers
(four factory trawlers and two side trawlers) to fish in
the Gulf of Alaska and extended the geographical limits
of the fishing area by 10 degrees in the east and 5
degrees in the west. The first factory trawler beganfishing in April, and a second began in June. Theremaining two factory trawlers began fishing in early
August, and all four trawled in the Gulf until October.The factory trawlers fished mainly for Pacific oceanperch, primarily on Albatross Bank but also on PortlockBank and along the 100-fathom curve from ChirikofIsland to Unimak Pass. One of the side trawlers beganfishing in the Gulf in May, and the other began in June.They trawled until late October near the Trinity Islands
off the southwest end of Kodiak Island, mostly for
shrimp. The Gulf catch in 1964 was 14,696 tons ofperch, 4,437 of other groundfish, and 2,608 tons ofshrimp (International North Pacific Fisheries
Commission, 1965b).
The Japanese increased the fieet in the Gulf of Alaska
in 1965 to six factory trawlers and five small trawlers.
The fishery was begun by 1 trawler in late February,increased to 4 trawlers by April, and reached a peak of
10 trawlers in June and July. Five of the trawlers fished
until early November: thereafter only one vessel fished.
In December, however, the effort increased to four
trawlers, which fished the first 3 months of 1966-thefirst winter Japanese trawl fishery in the Gulf. Most of
the trawling in 1965 was concentrated on Albatross
Emptying trawl on Japanese factory trawler off Kodiak Island in
Gulf of Alaska. The cod end of the trawl is raised above deck,
and the fish go through a hatch at the top of the stern ramp andthen directly to the processing facilities below deck.
Bank, although some fishing also took place along the
lOO-faihoni curve in the western Gulf, on Portlock
Bank, and, for the first time since the Japanese entered
the Gulf, on the Yakutat grounds in the eastern Gulf. I
estimate the catch totaled about 60,000 tons-80percent Pacific ocean perch, and 20 percent other
groundfish. One of the factory trawlers fished briefly for
shrimp but after a few days of poor catches resumedtrawling for ocean perch.
The trawl fishery in the Gulf of Alaska increased in
1966 to 10 factory trawlers and 5 small trawlers. Fourof the vessels were licensed to fish east of long. 135° W.and north of lat. 30 N., which encompasses the coasts
of southeastern Alaska, British Columbia, and the Pacific
Northwest States. The four trawlers in the Gulf at the
beginning of the year fished until March and then
returned to Japan. The fishery was resumed by 1 trawler
in April and reached a peak of 13 trawlers in September.The number of vessels then began to decline, and only
one or two trawlers were in the Gulf at the end of the
year. Most of the trawling in the Gulf in 1966 was along
the 100-fathom curve in the western Gulf and onAlbatross and Portlock Banks in the central Gulf. Forthe first time, Japanese trawlers appeared off the coast
of southeastern Alaska. The Japanese trawlers caught an
estimated 66,000 tons of fish (mostly Pacific ocean
perch) in the Gulf in 1966. Five hundred tons of slirimp
were caught by the two small trawlers in the ShumaginIslands area and near the Trinity Islands off southwest
Kodiak Island (International North Pacific Fisheries
Commission, 1966b).
The Japanese freeze most of the fish they catch in the
Gulf of Alaska. Pacific ocean perch are headed andeviscerated by machine, quickfrozen. packed in cartons,
and held in refrigerated holds aboard trawlers until
transported to Japan by refrigerator ships. Other species
of groundfish. such as walleye pollock, arrowtooth
fiounder, and sablefish, are filleted or dressed mostly byhand and are frozen. Some of the factory trawlers are
equipped with reduction plants and produce fish mealand oil from the offal and the less desirable species of
fish.
8
EASTERN BERING SEA KING CRAB FISHERY
The Japanese eastern Bering Sea king crab fishery
(fig. 6), which began in 1930,' was the first fishery off
Alasica by an Asian nation. It was also one of Japan's
earliest distant-water fisheries.
This fishery in prewar years took place in 1930 and in
1932 through 1939. In its first year, the fishery involved
one factory ship and a small fleet of catcher vessels
which, with tangle nets, harvested about 1 million king
crabs. The fishery was resumed in 1932 and continued
through 1939. One factory ship fleet operated in each of
these years except in 1933-34, when there were twofleets. The annual catch increased from about 1.3
million crabs in 1932 to slightly over 2 million crabs in
1933 and then steadily declined to about 250,000 crabs
in 1939.^
The quota was increased to 59,850 cases in 1954-58, to
70,000 cases in 1959, and to 80,000 in 1960. The
annual catch varied from 1.1 to 1.6 million crabs in
1953-60. During these years, the fishery was from April
into July or August (International North Pacific
Fisheries Commission, 1953-60).
The Japanese had what were termed spring andautumn king crab fisheries in the eastern Bering Sea in
1961-62. The spring fishery was from April into July,
and the autumn fishery from August into November.The two or three factory ship fleets in these fisheries
apparently did not fish an equal ratio of tangle net gear,
because the catch is not proportional to the number of
fleets (table 3) (International North Pacific Fisheries
Commission, 1961 and 1963a).
Beginning in 1963, the king crab fishery in the
eastern Bering Sea changed to a single-season operation,
Figure 6.—Japanese eastern Bering Sea king crab fishing areas.
The Japanese eastern Bering Sea king crab fishery wasresumed in 1953, after a lapse of 13 years and involvedone factory ship fleet each year through 1961. In
1953-54, tangle nets and trawls were both used, but in
1955 trawling was discontinued and since then onlytangle nets have been used in this fishery. In 1953 the
Japanese Government set a quota of 58,240 cases (24pounds per case) for the eastern Bering Sea crab fishery.
Shippen, Herbert, and staff of king crab investigators, 1964.
The fishery for king crabs in the eastern Bering Sea. Bur.
Commer. Fish. Biol. Lab., 2725 Montlake Blvd. E., Seattle,
Wash. 98102, manuscript, 50 pp.
2See footnote 1.
and canning became the sole method of processing.
From 1963 through 1966, two canning factory ships,
each accompanied by about five trawlers that set tangle
nets, engaged in this fishery. Fishing began in March andended between late August and early October in those
years.
The Japanese Government established a combined
annual quota of 235,000 twenty-four-pound cases for
the two fleets in 1963 and 1964; the total catch was
about 5.5 million crabs in 1963 and 5.9 million crabs in
1964 (International North Pacific Fisheries Commission,
1964 and 1965a).
The United States and Japan signed a 2-year
agreement in November 1964 whereby it was agreed that
to avoid possible overfishing of the king crab resource in
the eastern Bering Sea Japan would limit her annual
Table 3.—Japanese eastern Bering Sea king crab statistics, 1961-62
CENTRAL BERING SEA SHRIMP FISHERY
Japan expanded her fisheries on Alasi<a's Continental
Shelf in 1961 with a shrimp fishery in the central Bering
Sea north of the Pribilof Islands (fig. 7). This venture
was the first foreign fishery for shrimp off Alaska.
Factory ships accompanied by trawlers are employedin this fishery. The number of vessels increased from 1
factory ship and 16 trawlers in 1961 to 3 factory ships
and 38 trawlers in 1963. Each year thereafter the
number of vessels was reduced and by 1 966 had dropped
to 1 factory ship and 13 trawlers (table 4).
Cans of hand-packed king crab meat being checked for
appropriate weight on Japanese factory ship in eastern Bering
Sea. Inspected cans are conveyed to next compartment wherethey are sealed and then cooked in retorts.
The crabs are butchered, the meat is extracted (after
cooking), and the cans are packed by hand aboard the
factory ships. After processing, the cans are packed in
cardboard cartons and stored for shipment to Japan
aboard cargo or supply ships.
In 1965 and 1966 the Japanese fished experimentally
for king crab with pots in the eastern Bering Sea. Thepots were of two types— rectangular and beehive. TheJapanese reported that neither type of pot has been very
successful, but that neither type has been fished very
extensively.
Japanese factory ship engaged in the shrimp fishery in the
central Bering Sea. An accompanying fleet of trawlers delivers
the shrimp catches to the factory ship for processing.
Figure 7. -Japanese central Bering Sea shrimp fishing area.
11
Table 4—Japanese central Bering Sea shrimp fishery statistics
Year
Figure 8.—Japanese high-seas salmon fishing areas.
The Japanese high-seas sahnon fishery throughout the
North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea is governed by the
aforementioned Convention and the Northwest Pacific
Fisheries Treaty between Japan and the U.S.S.R., which
regulates Japanese high-seas salmon fishing in the
remainder of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea
between long. 175° W. and the Soviet coast. A provision
of the latter treaty places a quota on the annual
Japanese high-seas salmon catch. This quota is
renegotiated each year.
The Japanese high-seas salmon fishery in postwaryears has been marked by an expansion of the fishing
area and fluctuations in the number of vessels and the
catch. The fishery in 1952-55 took place in the NorthPacific Ocean from off the Soviet coast to south of the
western Aleutians as far east as the 180th meridian
(International North Pacific Fisheries Commission,1953-56). In 1956 the fleets moved farther east towardthe INPFC provisional line at long. 175° W. and also
moved north into the Bering Sea. Each year since 1956,this fishery has been active in that broad area in the
North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea (International
North Pacific Fisheries Commission, 1957-61, 1962a,
1963a, 1964, 1965a, 1966a, and 1967). Fishing begins
about mid-May and lasts until July or August. Early in
the season, the fleets are usually concentrated south of
the western and central Aleutian Islands, frequently near
the provisional hne. After a few weeks, they begin
dispersing into the Bering Sea and westward in the NorthPacific Ocean toward the Soviet coast. By late in the
season, the fleets are well scattered in these areas. Thenumber of vessels increased from 3 factory ships and 57
catcher vessels in 1952 to 16 factory ships and 506
catcher vessels by 1956 and then decreased to 1 1 factory
ships and 369 catcher vessels by 1962— a level that has
been maintained since. The annual catch increased from
2.0 million salmon in 1952 to a peak of 60.3 million in
1957 and by 1966 had decreased to 19.2 million (table
5).
Japanese salmon factory ship with gill net vessels alongside. Each
day a fleet of about 30 gill net vessels delivers its catch to a
factory ship for processing.
13
Table 5. -Numbers of vessels and numbers of salmon caught
In Japanese high-seas salmon fishery. 1952-66
Year
Table 6.—Estimated total number of sockeye salmon destined
to return to Bristol Bay and the estimated number andpercentage of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon caught
by Japanese on the high seas, 1952-66
Figure 9.—Japanese whaling areas.
Japanese whale factory ship off Alaska. Japanese whale factory
ships in the North Pacific are accompanied by 8 to 12 killer
vessels and about 3 refrigerator vessels and tankers. These fleets
range throughout the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.
Japanese whale killer vessel hunting in the Gulf of Alaska. Killer
vessels hunting for whales range many miles from the factory
ship. The whales are killed by harpoons shot from guns on the
bow of the killer vessels, inflated with air, and buoyed with radar
reflectors or radio transmitters for retrieval by the factory ships.
16
/^^ N>/, »
Preparing sperm whale for butchering on decl< of Japanese whalefactory ship. Flensing knives are used to cut meat and blubberinto strips for removal from carcass.
Stripping sperm whale on Japanese whale factory ship. Strips ofmeat and blubber are pulled off the whale by a cable on a
steam-driven winch.
Final stages of whale butchering on Japanese whale factory ship.
After the whale has been completely stripped, the large strips of
blubber are cut into smaller pieces and sent below deck for
rendering into oil. Meat is frozen for human food or animal feed.
The bones are sawed into pieces for reduction to meal, and onlythe entrails are discarded. It takes less than 15 minutes to
completely butcher a whale.
Table 7.—Japanese North Pacific whale harvest, 1959-66
Year
and attach a radar reflector, or a radio signal transmitter,
or both to help the factory ship locate their kills.
The huge factory sliips are equipped with complete
processing facilities. The whales are taken aboard via a
stern ramp, and the blubber and meat are stripped onthe main deck. In the processing areas below decks, the
meat is frozen for human and animal feed, oil is
extracted from the blubber, vitamin A is extracted fromthe liver, and bones are ground into meal.
LONGLINE FISHERY
The Japanese longline fishery off Alaska (fig. 10) has
been far smaller than tiic other Japanese fisheries. It has
included halibut expeditions in 1963 and 1964 (the
latter being very brief) and a small-scale fishery for
sablefish since the early 1960"s.
The 1953 International North Pacific FisheriesConvention described earlier further provided that Japanabstain from fishing for halibut of North Americanorigin. This prohibited Japan's entrance into the halibutfishery along the Aleutian Islands, in the eastern BeringSea, and in the Gulf of Alaska. In 1962 the Commissionestablished under the Convention determined that theeastern Bering Sea halibut no longer met thequalifications for "abstention" under the terms of theConvention. The 10-year ban on the taking of halibut byJapanese in the eastern Bering Sea was lifted in May1963. Five Japanese factory ships accompanied by 66longline vessels engaged m the eastern Bering Sea hahbutfishery from May into September 1963; their catch
Sablefish on deck of a Japanese longline vessel in the Gulf ofAlaska. The fish are headed, eviscerated, and washed on deck,and then go below deck where they are sharp frozen and stored!
Figure 10.—Japanese longline fishing areas.
18
totaled 4.6 million pounds (International North Pacific
Fisheries Commission, 1964). The Japanese effort was
reduced to two factory ships and six longline vessels in
1964. They began fishing when the season opened on
March 25 and within a few weeks, because of poor
catches, shifted emphasis to fisliing for sablefish. The1964 catch of halibut by Japanese longliners in the
eastern Bering Sea was only 261,000 pounds(International North Pacific Fisheries Commission,1965a).
The longline fishery for sablefish was confined to the
central and eastern Bering Sea in the early 1960's andwas extended into the Gulf of Alaska in late 1963. It has
been a small-scale fishery involving no more than six
vessels at any given time. The vessels operate as
independent units which freeze their own catches andremain on the grounds for 1 to 3 months. Uponachieving maximum cargoes of up to 3 tons, they return
to their home ports.
Japanese longline vessel fishing for sablefish in the Gulf of
Alaska. Japanese longliners in the Gulf operate as independent
units, fishing and processing their own catches until fully loaded,
and then returning to Japan.
SOVIET FISHERIES
The Soviet Union has become a dominant power in
world fishing in the last 10 years. During this period, the
Soviets have acquired fleets of ultramodern fishing,
processing, and support vessels; Soviet fisheries have
been expanded from inland and local coastal waters to
all oceans of the world; and the annual Soviet landings
have increased from 2.9 million tons^ (Bouchard, 1964)
to 5.9 million tons (Lyles, 1968). Further growth of
Soviet fisheries is signified in the current 5-year plan
which would raise the annual catcii to 9.6 million tons
by 1970.
Of increasing importance to this tremendous growth
have been fishery resources of the vast Continental Shelf
off Alaska, exploited by the Soviet Far East Fishery
Administration. The Soviet Far East is an economicregion encompassing the coastal Siberian provinces along
the Pacific Ocean. Fishing has become tlie mostimportant industry in this region (Kravanja, 1964) andin 1965 accounted for nearly 35 percent of the total
U.S.S.R. fishery landings. The Far East is divided into
six administrative provinces. The headquarters for the
Far East Fishery Administration is in Vladivostok, andsubordinate units are located in the provinces.
Fishing in Russia during czarist days was principally
from shore in small sailing or rowing craft, but after the
1917 Revolution the Communist regime began
expanding and mechanizing the Soviet fishing fieet
(Shparlinskii, 1959). The Far East began operating its
first large trawlers in 1929, but growth of the fisheries
Quantities in the Soviet section of the report which have
been taken from cited references have been converted from
metric tons to short tons.
was slow prior to World War 11 and all operations were
close to the Siberian coast. After the war, the Soviets
reexamined their fisheries and began a program of large
capital investment in standardized vessel construction,
utilizing proven fishing and support vessel designs. Soviet
shipyards were expanded to meet increased
requirements. It quickly became evident, however, that
they could not keep pace with the construction needs,
and contracts were granted outside ihe U.S.S.R. to
shipyards in Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands,
Poland. Sweden, Japan, the United Kingdom, East
Germany, and West Germany (Borgstrom, 1965).
The 5-year plans for 1946-50 and 1951-55 allocated
to the Far East region nearly 35 percent of the total
Soviet investment in the fishing industry-of the SI.
3
billion provided during that 10-year period, the Far East
received S461 million. The 7-year plan for 1959-65
showed a striking increase in capital investment; S2.2
billion was allocated to the entire Soviet fishing
industry. By the end of that period, the Far East
received $728.7 million, or 3i percent of the total
(Kravanja, 1964). As a result, the Far East acquired large
numbers of modern trawlers and support vessels capable
of extended operations in distant waters. The Soviet
fisheries in the Pacific thus had a major transformation.
The Far East fisheries grew rapidly in respect to both
area and landings. As late as 1950, Soviet fishing areas
were principally in coastal and inshore grounds. Only 36
percent of all Far East landings were taken from distant
areas. Within 10 years, however, distant-water fisheries
had become the major producers and in 1960 accounted
for 80 percent of all Far East landings (Mairova and
Vagner, 1965). Landings by the Far East fleets increased
from about 407,000 tons (Kravanja, 1964) in 1950 to
over 2 million tons in 1965-an amount equivalent to
19
the total United States landings in 1966. The current
5-year plan for the Far East envisions an annual catch of
over 4 million tons by 1970.
Soviet Far East fishing fleets first appeared off Alaska
in 1959, foUowing exploratory work in the Bering Sea in
the pieceding 2 years (Lipanov and Shestopalov, 1961).
During the first few years, fishing was limited to the
eastern Bering Sea, but in 1962 it expanded into the
Gulf of Alaska and in 1963 along the Aleutian Islands.
By the end of 1963, the Soviet tleets were engaged in
year-round operations along much of Alaska's vast
coastline. As many as 100 vessels were involved at onetime. Between 1959 and 1966 over 800 individual Soviet
fishing and associated support vessels operated off
Alaska.
Soviet fishing activities off Alaska (fig. 11) includetrawling for groundfish and shrimp, tangle net fishing for
king crab, and whaling. Vessels in these fisheries include
three types of side trawlers (125-178 feet long),'' onetype (primarily) of factory trawler (278 feet long),'
whale killer vessels (131-209 feet long), factory and base
ships, refrigerated transports, cargo ships, tankers, andtugs. Most of the vessels fishing off Alaska are fromthree of the Far East provinces—Primorskiy Kray,
Sakhalin, and Kamchatka; the major home ports are
Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Nevelsk, Khomlsk,Petropavlovsk, and Ust-Kamchatsk.
The type of trawler used most often in the Soviet Far
East fisheries is the SRT side trawler. Most of these
vessels lack refrigeration or other processing facilities,
and they are therefore dependent upon direct support
by processing ships. The SRT's are thus used in fleets
centered around support ships. In an attempt to improvethe capabilities of their distant-water fleets, the Soviet
Union began installing refrigeration equipment in someof the SRT's in the early 1960's.
The Soviet Far East fleets have in recent years beenreceiving an increasing number of SRTM freezer trawlers
and BMRT factory trawlers. These trawlers are larger
vessels capable of processing their own catches and of
Figure 1 1 .—Soviet fishing areas off Alaska.
SRTSredniy Rybolovnyy Trauler. or medium fishing
trawler, 265 gross tons and 125 feet long.
SP:J H—Sredniy Rybolovnyy Trauler Refrizheratornyy. or
refrigerated medium fishing trawler, 505 gross tons and 167 feet
long.
SBJM—Sredniy Rybolovnyy Trauler Morozilnyy. or freezing
medium fishing trawler, 700 gross tons and 178 feet long.
BMRT-Bo/j/io.v Morozilnyy Rybolovnyy Trauler, or large
freezer fishing trawler (commonly called factory trawler), 3,170
gross tons and 278 feet long.
operating for long periods as independent units. The
current Soviet program apparently envisions eventual
replacement of the small dependent trawlers by the
larger, more productive independent trawlers. This
change of emphasis has become evident in the
composition of the trawler fleets off Alaska in recent
years.
The number of Soviet trawlers engaged in fisheries off
Alaska dropped from 399 in 1965 to 351 in 1966. This
was the first such decline in the history of these
20
fisheries, but despite the reduction in number there was
probably no loss in fishing capabilities because the
number of large processing trawlers increased. This shift
to larger, more capable trawlers is reflected in figure 12,
which shows the numbers and total gross tonnage of the
dependent trawlers (primarily SRT's) and the
independent trawlers (primarily SRTM's and BMRT's)which appeared off Alaska in 1962-66.
^s dependent trawlers
K« Independent trawler-
sM!
Figure 12.-Number and total gross registered tons (GRT)of Soviet trawlers off Alaska, 1962-66.
FLOUNDER FISHERY
Intensive fishing for flounders in the Soviet Far East
began in 1929-30 in waters off the Soviet coast, and this
fishery soon became one of the important commercial
fisheries of the Far East (Pertseva-Ostroumova, 1961).
As part of its planned expansion, the Far East Fisheries
Administration dispatched reconnaissance trawlers to
the eastern Bering Sea in 1957-59 to search for newfishing areas. Productive flounder grounds were located,
and in March 1959 Soviet trawlers began a fiounder
fishery on the Continental Shelf off outer Bristol Baynorth of the Alaska Peninsula and south of NunivakIsland (Lipanov and Shestopalov, 1961). This fishery
(fig. 13) has been active on the Bristol Bay flats each
year since 1959.
The flounder fishery is a winter operation that
generally begins in December or January and lasts until
late April. In this report, I consider the year of the
fishery to be the year in which the annual fishery ends.
Each flounder expedition in 1959-63 involved about 30trawlers supported by factory and refrigerated transport
ships. The annual catch in these years was probably
between 50.000 and 100,000 tons. In 1964 the flounder
fleet was increased to over 40 trawlers with
accompanying support ships. Although the effort wasincreased, the Soviets reported that the total catch wasless than in previous years. In 1965 the vessels increased
to 50 to 60 trawlers plus support vessels. The 1965increase resulted in part from the shift of vessels fromthe herring fishery north of the Pribilof Islands which
fi b_l—I—
L
Figure 13.—Soviet flounder fishing area.
21
S^o^l^^ '
Vessels of Soviet eastern Bering Sea flounder expedition nested
in the ice pack where they are protected from winter storms.
Here support ships are able to transfer cargo and reprovision the
Soviet fishing vessels.
ended early because of adverse weather. Soviet sources
reported the 1965 flounder catch totaled nearly 90,000tons. Intensification of this fishery continued in 1966when 70 to 100 trawlers were active in the flounder
expedition. The increase in 1966 demonstrated a shift of
emphasis from the central Bering Sea herring fishery,
which failed to develop, to the flounder fishery, which
had proved increasingly productive. Throughout the
1966 flounder expedition Soviet sources reported that
weather was favorable and that trawlers were makinggood catches. I estimate the the Soviets caught about
100,000 tons of flounder in the eastern Bering Sea in
1966.
The vast majority— in excess of 90 percent according
to Moiseev (1965)—of catches in this fishery is
composed of yellowfin sole and the most important
incidental species is rock sole. Flatliead sole, starry
flounder, arrowtooth flounder, and juvenile Pacific
halibut are known to inhabit the Bristol Bay flats, andsmall quantities of these species are undoubtedly caught.
Tlie fish are taken by otter trawls fished directly on the
seabed. Side trawlers deliver their catches to factory
ships or processing refrigerated transports, which freeze
the fish for later transport to the Soviet Union. Thefactory trawlers in the flounder expedition freeze their
own catches.
HERRING FISHERY
In earlier years the Soviet Far East harvested large
quantities of herring close to the Siberian coast. Because
of intensive and irrational fishing and changing
oceanological conditions that caused a reduction in
populations arid a decline in catches, the Far East
Fisheries Administration in the 1950's began seeking
new areas and concentrations of herring (Moiseev,
1962). Exploratory vessels fishing in the central Bering
Sea in the late 1950's discovered commercial quantities
of herring north and west of the Pribilof Islands. In the
winter of 1959-60 the Soviets conducted the first of
what were to become annual herring fisheries in the
central Bering Sea (fig. 14). This is a winter fishery that
usually begins in December or January and extends into
March or April. In this report, I consider the year of the
fishery to be the year in which the annual fishery ends.
The herring expeditions in 1960-62 were composedof about 50 side trawlers and support ships. The annual
catch during this period increased from an estimated
10,000 tons in 1960 to, according to Lipanov andShestopalov (1963), over 150,000 tons in 1962. Theherring fleet nearly doubled in 1963 and included about
100 trawlers plus support ships. The fishing area wasextended to northwest of St. Matthew Island. I estimate
the catch totaled at least 150,000 tons in 1963. The
Soviet SRT side trawler engaged in the herring fishery 1n thecentral Bering Sea. The trawlers in the herring expeditionfrequently seek protection from winter storms by fishing orlying along the edge of the ice pack.
Soviet SRT side trawlers nested with base ship in ice pack In
central Bering Sea. Trawlers and support vessels in Soviet herring
expedition rendezvous in ice pack to transfer catches andreprovision.
22
Iti' 160' lii' ISC'
Figure 14.—Soviet herring fishing area.
fleet increased again in 1964 and had 100 to 150trawlers and many support ships. 1 believe a maximumannual catch of 150,000 to 200,000 tons was achieved
in 1964.
In 1965 the herring expedition showed a normalbuildup and reached 100 to 150 ships shortly after the
first of the year. In late February, however, this fishery
was abandoned, reportedly because of adverse weather.
The size of the fishery changed drastically in 1966. In
early December 1965, a small fleet of trawlers began
reconnaissance fishing on the herring grounds in the
central Bering Sea. By January, only about 15 trawlers
and a few support vessels were active. In late January
Soviet sources reported that the trawlers had not located
enough herring to support a fishery, and by
mid-February operations were ended. The failure of this
fishery in 1966 reportedly caused economic difficulties
for the Far East Fisheries because herring products were
relied upon for a large margin of profit.
During the early years of this fishery, the herring
were lightly salted in barrels aboard the trawlers and
transferred to base ships which stored the barrels of
salted herrmg in refrigerated holds. By 1964 the newmultipurpose Zakharov-d^ss factory ships began to
appear in this fishery, and the trawlers then delivered
their catches directly to the factory snips where the
herring were lightly salted and then canned in 11 -pound
tins.
PACIFIC OCEAN PERCH FISHERY
The most extensive and perhaps the most productive
Soviet enterprise off Alaska is the trawl fishery for
rockfish, primarily ocean perch (fig. 15). Ocean perch,
according to Rybnoe Khozyaisto (1961), is considered a
valuable food fish in the Soviet Union and is marketed
fresh, refrigerated, and frozen. The largest portion of the
catch must be frozen or salted because the fish are
caught by the distant-water fleets far from consumermarkets.
The Soviet ocean perch fishery off Alaska began in
1960 when 25 to 30 trawlers fished along the edge of
the Continental Shelf in the eastern and central Bering
Sea (Lestev. 1961). In succeeding years, fishing
expanded throughout the Gulf of Alaska, along the
Aleutian Islands, and to the coasts of British Columbiaand the Pacific Northwest States. In recent years, the
ocean perch fleets have had nearly 200 vessels at a time.
All classes of trawlers in ihe Soviet Far East fish for
Pacific ocean perch off Alaska. Side trawlers, primarily
SRT's, are the principal type in the Gulf of Alaska, and
BMRT factory trawlers are the principal type along the
Aleutian Islands. The trawlers fish in areas where
reconnaissance vessels have previously located large
concentrations of perch. The trawls are fished just off
the seabed, generally along the edge of the Continental
Shelf, at depths of 80 to 150 fathoms. Side trawlers
23
deliver their catclies fresh to accompanying processing
ships which freeze the fish, primarily in the round but
also dressed (headed and eviscerated). When there is a
shortage of processing ships, the side trawlers (SRTM,SRTR, and some SRT's) with freezing capabilities
process their own catches. Factory trawlers (mostly
BMRT's) head, eviscerate, and freeze their ocean perch
catches and produce fish meal and oil from the offal andincidentally caught species of nonedible fish. The frozen
fish and byproducts are transferred from the processing
ships and factory trawlers to refrigerated fish transport
vessels for delivery to the Soviet Union. In the earlier
years of the Soviet ocean perch fishery off Alaska, someof the catches were salted in barrels, but this method of
processing has been abandoned in the Alaska area.
Gult of Alaska
In July-September 1960. an SRT side trawler on an
exploratory trip in the Gulf of Alaska located large
concentrations of ocean perch south of the ShumaginIslands and on Albatross and Portlock Banks off KodiakIsland (Lyubimova, 1961 and 1962). !t was not until
July 1962, however, that the first Soviet fleet, with
about 50 trawlers and accompanying support ships,
entered the Gulf of Alaska and began fishing on these
two banks. This tleet, which reached a maximumstrength of about 70 vessels, remained in the Gulf until
December.
Soviet SRT side trawler retrieving cod end of trawl containing
several tons of ocean perch in Gulf of Alaska. SRT's depend oncontinuous support of processing vessels.
In 1963 the tleet returned to the Gulf of Alaska in
March and remained until October. Fishing began alongthe 100-fathom curve from Unimak Pass to south of the
Shumagin Islands and later concentrated on Albatrossand Portlock Banks. In 1963 the Soviets increased their
fleet in the Gulf to a maximum of about 135 SRT's, 10BMRT's, and many accompanying support ships.
Figure 15.—Soviet ocean perch fishing areas.
24
Ocean perch fisliing in tlie Crulf of Alaska in 1964
began in February. By the end of Marcii the Siwiet
fishery stretclied from Lliiimak Pass to the Yakutat
grounds. A maximum tleet of about 160 vessels was
reached by late May. By mid-August the number of ships
had declined to about 40 vessels because many of the
ships had transferred to the fisheries for saury and
herring off the Soviet coast. In September the fleet was
reduced to less than 30 vessels. The fleet remained at
about this strength, and for the first time, a fishery was
maintained in the Gulf throughout the winter. The
Soviet Government reported that 230,000 tons of ocean
perch were caught in the Gulf of Alaska in 1964.
Soviet SRTR side trawler with deck load of ocean perch in Gulf
of Alaska. Although this class of side trawler has freezing
capabilities, catches are generally delivered directly to
accompanying processing vessels.
By the close of 1965 the Soviets had established a
year-round Pacific ocean perch fishery in the Gulf of
Alaska and had extended the fishing area east to the
coast of southeastern Alaska and into Dixon Entrance.
The ships shifted frequently between productive areas
across the entire Gulf. The vessels increased from about
12 in January to over 160 in May. As during the
previous year, effort began decreasing in June; however,
in 1965 the decline was halted in late July when 120 to
130 vessels were still fishing in the Gulf. In October and
early November, the fleets had less than 100 vessels
when some of the ships moved to off the coast of British
Columbia. By late November those ships had returned
and about 1 25 ships were again fishing in the Gulf at the
close of 1965. The Soviets reported that their Pacific
ocean perch catch in the Gulf was 340,000 tons in 1965.
From January through March of 1966, the Soviet
Gulf of Alaska ocean perch fishery had a fleet of 100 to
125 trawlers and support ships, most of them off
southeastern Alaska, on the Yakutat grounds, and on
Portlock Bank. In April the ocean perch fleet declined to
about 70 vessels because most of the ships in the eastern
Gulf moved to the newly located perch and hake
fisheries off the Pacific Northwest. In May the Gulf fleet
rose to over 100 vessels as a result of the transfers fromthe recently terminated eastern Bering Sea flounder
fishery. In June, however, the Gulf ocean perch fishery
Soviet fishing and support vessels nested together in Gulf of
Alaska. Several classes of processing and refrigerated transport
vessels accompany fleets of trawlers fishing off Alaska.
was almost completely abandoned when most of the
vessels moved to the coasts of British Columbia,
Washington, and Oregon. In December the Pacific
Northwest fisheries ended, and by the end of 1966about 40 trawlers and several support ships were in the
Gulf of Alaska.
Aleutian Islands
The first Soviet Pacific ocean perch fishery, which
was preceded by exploratory work, began along the
Aleutian Islands in 1963. Up to 12 BMRT factory
trawlers fished along the entire chain from August
through December. This fishery continued through
1964, and BMRT's were still the mainstay. The numberof vessels varied between 5 and 20, and the Soviets
reported that nearly 61,000 tons of ocean perch were
caught in the Aleutian Islands in 1964.
Fishing was continuous through 1965, and much of
the effort was along the Near Islands in the western
Aleutian Islands. In addition to 20 to 30 BMRT's and
support ships, almost 10 SRT side trawlers joined tliis
fishery about midyear and fished along the central
Aleutian Islands for about 3 months. The ocean perch
catch along the Aleutian Islands in 1965 increased to
nearly 71,000 tons. Although this was 10,000 tons over
the 1964 catch, the catch per trawler declined sharply in
1965 and the trawlers spent nearly twice as much time
searching for ocean perch.
Early in 1966 Soviet vessels left the Aleutian Islands,
probably because of adverse weather, and most of the
trawlers transferred to the Gulf of Alaska. The Aleutian
Islands ocean perch fishery was resumed by a lew
BMRT's in May, and by August the fleet had about 20
ships, mostly BMRT's with a few SRTM freezer trawlers.
In October, however, the effort again fell when only a
few BMRT's fished along the eastern Aleutians. By
December the Aleutian Islands area had been vacated,
which tended to corroborate continuing reports of
declining catches.
25
Soviet BMRT factory trawler fishing for ocean perch along
Aleutian Islands. This class of trawler is equipped with
processing facilities and is able to operate as an independentunit.
Soviet BMRT factory trawler retrieving a trawl full of oceanperch along the Aleutian Islands. The catch is stored in bins ondeck until transferred below deck to the processing facilities.
Bering Sea
During the early 1960's tlie Soviets dispatched 20 to
30 trawlers each year to fish for Pacific ocean perch
along the 100-fathom curve from Unimak Pass to
northwest of the Pribilof Islands; however, since July
1962, ocean perch fisheries in that area have been
sporadic. The Soviet Government reported the ocean
perch catch in the eastern and central Bering Sea was
1 1 ,500 tons in 1964 and 9,000 tons in 1965.
KING CRAB FISHERY
The Soviets have fished for king crabs in their owncoastal waters since the early 1900's (Moiseev, 1962).
The first fishing was from shore stations and then
expanded to factory ships which by the late 1940'shad
worked nearly the entire coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk,
the Kuril Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Apparently attracted by the success of the Japanese
king crab fishery off Alaska and encouraged by their
own reconnaissance fishing, the Soviets began a king
crab fishery on the Continental Shelf of the eastern
Bering Sea in 1959 (fig. 16). The first expedition was
from July into September and was made by a converted
factory sliip which carried eight small picker boats and
was accompanied by three SRT trawlers that set tangle
nets.
One factory ship fleet fished again in 1960 from April
into July.
This fishery in 1961-66 was marked bymodernization of the fleets and an increase in effort. Amajor development occurred in 1961 when two factory
slrips engaged in this fishery—one of which was the
Andrey Zakharov. the first of a new class of
multipurpose factory ships. Each factory sliip in 1961
carried about 1 2 picker boats and was accompanied by 3
net setting trawlers. Two factory ships operated again in
1962, and both were of the new class. In 1963 the
Soviets increased the effort to three Zakliarov<hss
factory sliip fleets, a level that has been maintained
througli 1966. Each of the factory ships carried up to 12
picker boats, and each was accompanied by 2 net-setting
trawlers in 1963 and by 3 in 1964-66. Since 1964 two
additional SRT's with tangle nets have conducted
reconnaissance fisliing for the three fleets. In 1966 the
period of operations changed from April into July to
early March through June.
Each year the Soviets have increased the number of
tangle nets fished in the eastern Bering Sea. During the
Modern Zakharov-c\ass canning factory ship used in Soviet
eastern Bering Sea king crab fishery. Each factory ship carries
about 12 picker boats like the 1 slung in the forward davit and
the 2 alongside. Tangle nets visible on deck of the factory ships
are set by accompanying trawlers.
26
Figure 16.—Soviet eastern Bering Sea king crab fishing area.
first 3 years of the fishery the catch increased
accordingly-from 620,000 crabs in 1959 to over 3.4
milhon crabs in 1961. In 1962 the trend reversed itself,
and, in spite of annual increases in the amount of gear,
the catch dropped from 3 million crabs in 1962 to just
over 2.2 million crabs in 1965. In 1966, the declinehalted and the catch rose to over 2.5 million crabs.
The Soviets fish for eastern Bering Sea king crabs in
the same manner as the Japanese. The Soviet fishery,
however, has been entirely on that area of the
Continental Shelf north of the Alaska Peninsula and has
not extended to the Pribilof Islands area as has the
Japanese. Also, the Soviet fishery is about 2 monthsshorter than the Japanese fishery.
The Soviets fished for king crabs in the Gulf of
Alaska on two occasions, but both of those ventures
were short lived. In mid-June 1963, two crab fleets
moved from the Bristol Bay flats into the western Gulfof Alaska and fished tangle nets in the Chirikof Island
area southwest of Kodiak Island. The United States
protested this incursion and contended that the coastal
State has sovereign rights to certain natural resources
(including king crabs) on the Continental Shelf beyondthe limits of its territorial waters in accordance with the
Geneva International Convention on the Continental
Shelf-to which the U.S.S.R. was a signatory. TheSoviets withdrew their crab fleets back into the Bering
Sea by mid-July. Soviet officials reported that 2,200tons of king crab were taken in the Gulf of Alaska in
1963. In April 1964 one of the Soviet crab fleets again
appeared in the Gulf and fished tangle nets near Chirikof
Island. The United States again protested, and the Soviet
crab fleet was withdrawn to the Bering Sea within 3
weeks. According to the Soviets, the brief 1964 fishery
in the Gulf yielded 1 ,600 tons of king crabs.
The threat of further Soviet king crab fishing in the
Gulf of Alaska was forestaOed in February 1965 whenthe United States and the Soviet Union entered into
agreement governing Soviet fishing for king crabs on the
Continental Shelf off Alaska during 1965-66. Theagreement, similar to the one with the Japanese,
King crab being removed from Soviet tangle nets in eastern
Bering Sea. Picker boats are used to retrieve tangle nets and their
catches of crab. The crab are removed from the net as it is
brought aboard the picker boats and are delivered to factory
ships for canning.
27
restricted the Soviet crab fishery to the eastern Bering
Sea, placed a quota on Soviet production, and providedfor certain conservation measures to be observed. Theannual Soviet production quota for each of the 2 years
1965 and 1966 was established at 118,600twenty-four-pound cases. The agreement specified that
the two nations would meet prior to expiration of the
agreement to decide on future arrangements.^
SHRIMP FISHERY
The newest Soviet fishery off Alaska is that for
shrimp (fig. 17). Until the early 1960's shrimp fishing bythe Soviet Far East was confined to inshore waters along
the Soviet coast (Kundis and Skalkin, 1962), apparently
because of the lack of appropriate trawlers for shrimp
fishing in distant waters. In 1962-63 the Soviets
developed and began producing the Mavak-chss SRTMfreezer trawler, which proved highly suitable for
distant-water shrimp fishing. Shortly thereafter the
Soviets capitalized on the findings of earlier exploratory
work and began catching shrimp on Alaska's Continental
Shelf.
The first known Soviet shrimp fishery off Alaska wasin 1963 north of the Pribilof Islands. Officers of a
Japanese shrimp factory sliip reported that six BMRTfactory trawlers fished briefly in that area frommid-March to mid-April. Two new SRTM trawlers fished
in the same area in 1964 from February until mid-June.In late October 1964 two SRTM's entered the Gulf of
Alaska and began shrimping off the southwest end of
Kodiak Island. The two trawlers continued fishing in this
area until early December.
Soviet SRTM freezer trawler fishing for shrimp near the
Shumagin Islands in the Gulf of Alaska. The cod end of the trawl
being brought aboard the SRTM has several hundred pounds of
shrimp. This class of trawler has facilities for sharp freezing andrefrigerated storage and has been the mainstay of the Soviet
shrimp fishing fleet off Alaska.
Shrimp on deck of a Soviet SRTM freezer trawler near the
Shumagin Islands in the Gulf of Alaska. After being sorted, the
freshly caught shrimp pass through a rotary washer and then go
below decks where they are sharp-frozen, packaged, and stored.
A major increase in the Soviet Gulf of Alaska shrimp
fishery occurred in 1965 when six SRTM's resumed
fishing near southwest Kodiak Island in early February.
By April the fleet had increased to eight trawlers. In Maythe fishery shifted to the Shumagin Islands area and
continued into June. The Soviets abandoned the Gulf
shrimp fishery during the summer except for a brief
period in late July wiien a few SRTM's fished near the
Shumagin Islands. In early October this fishery resumed
and by late October had eight trawlers. In Novemberfour of the SRTM's returned to the southwest Kodiak
Island region, and by the end of 1965 five SRTM's were
fishing in each of the two abovementioned areas. I
estimate the Soviets caught about 8,000 tons of shrimp
in the Gulf of Alaska in 1965.
Early in 1966 the fishery became centered in the
Shumagin Islands area and by the end of the year had a
record high number of vessels. In early February the five
SRTM's fishing near the Trinity Islands joined their
In January 1967 the Agreement was extended for an
additional 2 years (1967-68). The only significant change was
the reduction of the Soviets' annual catch to 100,000 cases.
Soviet SRTM freezer trawler transferring shrimp to canning
factory ship in Gulf of Alaska. When shrimp are canned on the
fishing grounds, they are held on deck of the SRTM trawlers and
periodically delivered to a factory ship.
28
11
1
us S R.
The Soviets increased their emphasis on whaling in
1963 when two new modern factory ships joined the old
converted factory ship. These three ships, with 46 killer
vessels, began whaling along the western Aleutians in
March; by August Soviet killer vessels were huntingwhales throughout the Aleutian Islands and in the Gulfof Alaska. Wlialing continued into September. A fourthfleet operated briefly off Alaska in 1963; it huntedwhales off the Pacific Northwest and in the Gulf ofAlaska while en route to Vladivostok from the
Antarctic.
In 1964 the Soviet North Pacific whaling expeditionlasted from March into September. One fleet workedprimarily along the Aleutian Islands westward to the
Siberian coast, and two fleets ranged from the
north-central Bering Sea to off southeastern Alaska.
Again in 1964, another fleet hunted ofT Alaska while enroute from the Antarctic to Vladivostok. A markeddifference in 1964 was that the Soviet whaling fleets
remained farther offshore, rarely being sighted within 20miles of the coast.
The same three fleets operated in the North Pacific in
1965. After they left from Vladivostok in April, the
fleets apparently found good hunting in the central
North Pacific and remained in that area for several
weeks, because the first whaling vessels did not appearoff Alaska until mid-May. It was not until June that
vessels from two other fleets appeared off Alaska. Thelatter fleets ranged throughout tiie Gulf of Alaska andby mid-July had joined the third fleet along the Aleutian
Islands. The three fleets operated along the Aleutians for
the remainder of the expedition except t~or the last part
of July and about the first 3 weeks of August when onefleet hunted off the coast of southeastern Alaska.According to Soviet sources, the fleets returned to
Vladivostok in November. Another fleet again huntedbriefly off Alaska while en route home from the1964-65 Antarctic whaling season.
The Soviets reported tliat five whaling fleets were tooperate in the North Pacific in 1966. Three fleets left
Vladivostok in May. One of those fleets operated alongthe Aleutian Islands in May, June, and July; the other
Soviet whale killer vessel hunting whales in the North Pacific
Ocean. A fleet of about 12 killer vessels accompanies a factoryship. The whales are killed by harpoons shot from guns on thebow of the killer vessels.
^ b_l I L
Figure 18. -Soviet whaling areas.
30
Fin whale killed bv Soviet whale killer vessel. After the whales
are killed, they are filled with air and marked with buoys, radar
reflectors, and sometimes radio transmitters for pickup by
factory ships.
two fleets apparently operated far offshore in the central
and eastern North Pacific. In 1966, as in the previous 3
years, one fleet was to hunt whales in the North Pacific
on its return to tlie Soviet Union from the Antarctic. In
late May the Far East Fisheries Administration received
another whale factory sliip and announced that the ship
would also operate in the North Pacific in 1966.
The number of whales killed in the North Pacific by
the Soviets has increased annually, rising from 1,881 in
1959 to 12,267 in 1966 (table 8).
Table 8.-U.S.S.R. North Pacific whale harvest, 1959-66
Year
SOUTH KOREAN FISHERIES
Exploratory fishing by South Korea in the NorthPacific and Bering Sea in 1966 presages the entry of that
nation into the fisheries off Alaska. The initiation of a
groundfish trawl fishery and a liigh-seas salmon fishery
by South Korea appears to be highly potential
developments.
A vessel from Pusan National Fisheries College left
South Korea in mid-July 1966, and from early Augustuntil late September conducted exploratory fishing off
Alaska. The area of operations was along the Aleutian
Islands, in the western Gulf of Alaska, and in the eastern
and central Bering Sea as far north as St. MatthewIsland. Types of fishing included trawling for groundfish
and sampling salmon on the high seas with gill nets.
It was reported that the data collected during the
exploratory expedition would be analyzed by SouthKorea to determine the feasibility of beginning a factory
sliip-type fishery in the North Pacific and Bering Sea. Nofuture plans were announced by the end of 1966, but it
was reported that a South Korean official had traveled
to western Europe in late 1966 and had obtained a
source of financing for factory ships and trawlers.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author has written this report largely frominformation gathered by the entire staff of the Office ofEnforcement and Surveillance in the Alaska Region ofthe Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. Ronald C. Naab's
knowledge of the subject, suggestions, andencouragement were particularly helpful. Sid 0. Morganprepared the figures.
Figure 19.—Principal fishing grounds and points of reference, Alaskan area.
32
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MS. #1805
34
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